Ragin' Cajuns

The Ragin' Cajuns pirate gang was a force to be reckoned with in the Louisiana bayou for four years, between 1933 and 1937.

History
In June of 1932, French Louisiana seceded from the Confederation of Dixie. A number of Confederate pilots returned to their native Louisiana, among them Louis Thibodeaux.

Thibodeaux immediately applied to join the new Lousiana Swamp-Bat militia, but was rejected due to his criminal record - fraud and gambling offences from his time in Alabama. Furious at this rejection, Thibodeaux headed into the bayou with some of his friends from his card-sharping days and formed the Ragin' Cajuns.

Within a year, the Ragin' Cajuns were a force to be reckoned with, flying Curtiss-Wright Furies on a number of successful raids. While Thibodeaux maintained his hatred for the Swamp-Bats, he focused his gang's initial efforts against the Confederation and the Republic of Texas.

It was in 1935 that Thibodeaux first encountered Nathan Zachary and the Fortune Hunters, during the Quest for the Golden Horse. Thibodeaux hosted a party aboard his luxury yacht, the Canailles Espoir, and attempted to cheat Zachary out of his planes and zeppelin in a high-stakes card game. Zachary, however, proved to be more than a match for the sneaky Cajun, beating him at his own game. This established rivalry lasted for years.

Following this public humiliation, Thibodeaux relaxed the restrictions on raiding within Louisiana, and the gang's profits rose markedly.

In August of '37, however, two squadrons from the Louisiana Swamp-Bats had finally had enough of the Cajuns' depradations and drove the gang out of their base in Jeanerette. Furious at what he saw as another betrayal, Thibodeaux headed west for the remote island of Sea Haven.

Setting up in Sea Haven, now flying a personalised Dassault MD 445 Dauphin seaplane, Thibodeaux started a campaign to take over Sea Haven's fuel supply, through a combination of extortion, sharp business practise and, when all else failed, outright murder.

Thibodeaux's plans were foiled once again by Nathan Zachary, however. In a shocking reversal, Thibodeaux was able to win both the Pandora and Zachary's Devastator in a card game. Zachary proceeded to steal back both his plane and zeppelin, before discovering Thibodeaux's plan for Sea Haven. Angered at Thibodeaux's attempts to eliminate his friend Doctor Wilhelm Fassenbiender, Zachary proceeded to destroy the Cajuns' fuel operation, stole Thibodeaux's Dauphin and destroyed the gang's zeppelin.

Following this second spectacular defeat, Thibodeaux fled Sea Haven, and has not been seen since.

Aircraft
The Ragin' Cajuns mainly fly that pirate favorite, the Curtiss-Wright J2 Fury. Given the group's coastal nature, however, a number of Dassault MD 445 Dauphin seaplanes have been seen in their service, and at least one zeppelin was deployed as part of their campaign to take over Sea Haven.

Louis Thibodeaux
Born in New Orleans, Louis Thibodeaux joined the Confederate Air Force six weeks after its formation. Over a spectacular three-year career, Thibodeaux became famous for his piloting skill, his talent at seduction, and his remarkable good luck with cards. It was this last that gave him his nickname, "Wild Card".

Following Louisiana's secession, Thibodeaux returned to his native land, and, following his rejection by the Louisiana Swamp-Bats, formed his own pirate gang deep in the bayou. While this gang was successful, Thibodeaux established a reputation as a gentleman. His lavish parties became the very height of excitment among the young and wealthy of New Orleans.

With Thibodeaux's public humiliation at the hands of Nathan Zachary and his decision to permit the Cajuns to raid within Louisiana, his days in the Pelican State were limited. Forced to flee to Sea Haven, Thibodeaux was again defeated by Zachary. Fleeing Sea Haven, Thibodeaux was last seen heading east again, probably returning to Lousiana.

Trivia

 * In early stages of development of Crimson Skies: High Road to Revenge, the Ragin Cajuns originally served as cohorts to Nathan Zachary and the Fortune Hunters. And they would own a black variant of the Piranha plane instead of Daulphins and Furies.